HB 225 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO SQUATTING.

Summary

Establishes a working group within the Department of the Attorney General to study the issue of squatting in Hawaii and provide recommendations. Requires reports to the legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 16, 2025 Last action Dec 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB225 → HB225_HD1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated to reflect its progression to the House of Representatives (HD1), changing the author from Joseph Brown to Chris Kobayashi. Substantively, the bill now establishes a working group within the Attorney General's office to study squatting, replacing the previous standalone section with a more detailed structure that includes specific member roles and a revised timeline for reporting.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to formally establish a working group with a specific list of required members (including the Attorney General, county officials, and representatives from various organizations) and a new deadline for submitting a preliminary report to the legislature.

TIMELINE

The deadline for the working group to submit its preliminary report was changed from the 2026 legislative session to the 2027 legislative session.

The effective date of the Act was changed from immediate approval to July 1, 3000, indicating the bill is currently in a study phase with no immediate enforcement.

REQUIREMENT

A detailed list of working group members was added, specifying roles for the Attorney General, county chiefs of police, prosecutors, and representatives from housing and legal aid organizations.

The working group's composition was expanded to include one member from the House of Representatives and one from the Senate, appointed by their respective leaders.

The requirement for legal experts on the working group was clarified to ensure representation from both landlords and tenants.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 30, 2025

Committee

Reported from HSH (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Jan 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on HSH recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Marten, Olds, Amato, Chun, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Takayama, Takenouchi, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to HSH, JHA, FIN, referral sheet 1

lower

Jan 17, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 16, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

12 primary · 0 co-sponsors